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Ask HN: How do you search for $string if a webpage “supports” infinite scroll?

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Ask HN: How do you search for $string if a webpage “supports” infinite scroll?

#1
Let's say you visit a webpage like Reddit and want to search for $string. Maybe I am too stupid, but in my opinion it's just not possible anymore. :( Content is dynamically loaded in and out and you have to scroll carefully not to miss a $string when using browser based CTRL-F. That is just ridiculous.

For me infinite-scroll is one of the most stupid features of the "modern" web. It just makes the experience worse to crank up some dubious engagement numbers.

And to make it clear: I don't want to search for stuff via $string site:reddit.com via some search engine. Often I really want to search for exact $string on a page, but on something like Reddit that does not work anymore.

[/rant]

EDIT: Thanks for all the answers. And I think I hit a nerve here :) Maybe it makes some frontend developers take a step back and really think if it's really a good idea to implement that "feature".

As suggested you can use old.reddit.com in case of Reddit, but for some pages, there just isn't an option and the worst offenders even hijack your CTRL-F and want you to use their own terrible search.

Re: Ask HN: How do you search for $string if a webpage “supports” infinite scroll?

#4
What I have done in the past:

Scroll down a couple of days/pages/whatever and then use Ctrl+F. It‘s annoying as hell, but that usually works as most pages just add stuff at the bottom and don‘t unload the previous content on top

Re: Ask HN: How do you search for $string if a webpage “supports” infinite scroll?

#5

Maybe try google with `site:` keyword. You can use also advance searching tools, so eg. you can search value to date.

> And to make it clear: I don't want to search for stuff via $string site:reddit.com via some search engine

Re: Ask HN: How do you search for $string if a webpage “supports” infinite scroll?

#9
The naive way is to scroll down a ridiculous amount and then do a simple ctrl-F. It would be nice if infinite-scroll sites provided their own search function that searched through all potential content for that page.

(And then probably provide those search results on an infinite-scroll page, requiring another search function to search through those search results. It's infinite scroll all the way down.)

Re: Ask HN: How do you search for $string if a webpage “supports” infinite scroll?

#10
Other problems:

- Scroll, scroll, scroll, and then click a link. Now click back. You have lost your place.

- How can anyone link to a section far down?

- Impossible to read or use anything in the footer. I suppose if you install infinite scrolling, you remove the footer. But I have heard a story where they forgot.

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